Kids Go Gardening - berri-licious
There is nothing quite as sweet as a strawberry you grew yourself. If you plant strawberry plants in winter (they arrive in garden centres in June), you’ll have sweet berries to pick by October or November. You can plant them in the garden or in a container. Strawberries even grow in bags or hanging basket, as long as you feed and water them lots.
How to grow strawberries in a container
- Choose a container with holes for drainage. (Note: The bigger the container, the easier it is to keep strawberries properly fed and watered.)
- Fill your container with planting mix. Choose a good planting mix that has that contains slow release fertiliser.
- Plant your strawberry plants. Make sure you don’t plant too deep: the place where the stems join the roots is called the ‘crown’ and it should sit at the soil surface so that just the roots are buried.
- Water thoroughly after planting.
- When the plants start flowering feed them once every week with a liquid fertiliser such as Thrive Strawberry Food.
- Cover with netting to stop birds and other thieves! Don’t be tempted to pick your strawberries until they are properly ripe and super sweet!
Top tips
- Strawberry plants need a balanced diet with lots of different nutrients. For a bumper crop of tastiest berries, they like a fertiliser with plenty of Potassium.
- To keep your strawberries shiny and clean, cover the soil with straw.
DID YOU KNOW?
Strawberries are sun lovers. The more sun they get, the sweeter they will be. Leaves catch the sunshine and convert it into sweetness!
Plant a strawberry tower
Grow more strawberries in less space: Buy or make a vertical planter bag with holes up the sides. Fill the bag up to the bottom level of holes with container mix and mix in a handful of sheep pellets. Push down firmly with your hands. Gently guide a small strawberry plant through each hole from the inside out so that the leaves are on the outside and the roots are snug inside. Repeat for each layer of holes until the tower is filled to within 3cm of the top and finish with 2 or 3 plants on top. Add slow release fertiliser and water well. As your strawberries grow keep them well fed and watered. Turn your strawberry bag around every few days so that each plant gets its fair share of sun.
3-Jun-2019
Planting a strawberry tower
Feed plants with Yates Thrive liquid plant food.
In the Garden
